Sony announces the PlayStation 4; coming Holiday 2013

Sony just announced the PlayStation 4 at their “Future of PlayStation” event in New York and the details confirm some long standing rumors as well as reveal new and exciting features of the next generation console.
The PlayStation 4 is a “consumer focused, developer centric” console that aims to provide the most personalized gaming experience today. The PS4 combines a X86 CPU with an enhanced PC GPU and 8GB high system memory to create “experiences that surpass gamers’ wildest expectations.”

The PS4 is based on five principles; Simple, Immediate, Social, Integrated and Personalized. Sony has made the entire process of playing a game as simple as possible. Gamers can immediately jump in and out of a game with the touch of the power button to suspend/resume playing, much like the PS Vita. Social aspects of the system include the ability to share gameplay videos with the Share button located on the new Dualshock 4 controller.

They system automatically records your gameplay which you can then go and directly upload to the internet. The PS4 also supports streaming capabilities via UStream. You can watch your friends play and even jump into their game and help them get past a tricky or difficult spot if you so choose.

The introduction of a secondary chip within the system allows for background processing of downloadable games and updates. No longer do you have to wait for your system to install the latest firmware or update before you can actually play a game. Even better, downloadable games can be played almost immediately as they are being downloaded at the same time.

Like the PS3, the PS4 will have access to a variety of social media and entertainment options such as Facebook, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Instant Video.

PS3 games, unfortunately, will not run natively on the PS4. They will be able to be streamed on the console, however, through the Cloud service from the Sony-acquired Gaikai. More details on this functionality will be discussed at a later date.

Other functions of the PS4 include the ability for PS4 games to be played via Remote Play on the PS Vita. This is a function that Sony aims to have all PS4 titles support, but we’ll believe it when we see it.

In terms of games, there were plenty that were announced and show at the event. Guerrilla Games announced Killzone: Shadow Fall and showed off a debut trailer. Evolution Studios, the developers behind MotoStorm, announced the social multiplayer driving game DriveClub. Sucker Punch revealed a trailer for inFAMOUS: Second Son. Other games that were revealed for the PS4 include a new PlayStation Move design game from Media Molecule, The Witness from Braid creator Jonathan Blow, and Capcom’s Deep Down. Known titles including Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs and Blizzard’s Diablo III will also be coming to the PS4. We’ll have more information on all these games and more soon.

As the presentation came to a close, it was shown that the release date for the PS4 is Holiday 2013. It’s interesting to note that while the hardware and capabilities of the PS4 were discussed in detail, the actual console itself was not shown.

No doubt will have more information at E3. For now, we can all let out a sigh of relief as the next generation of gaming has arrived, and it is the PS4.